1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing apparatuses and methods, and programs and recording media used therewith, and, in particular, to an image processing apparatus and method for providing a natural retinal image to an observer at an unspecified position, and a program and recording medium used therewith.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to use a large screen to display realistic video whose size is a life size of an observer or greater, typically, the observer needs to stand at a predetermined position in front of the screen, or the displayed video is transformed depending on the position of the observer, whereby the observer, who observes the screen, can obtain a correct (natural) retinal image that is realistic. The correct retinal image means that the retinal image obtained such that the observer observes the video displayed on the screen is substantially equivalent to a retinal image obtained when the observer is present in an actual scene.
Technologies for displaying realistic video for observers include, for example, a so-called “immersive display apparatus”. An example using an immersive display apparatus is a system in which, by disposing large screens in a space around a user and projecting video from behind the screens by using projectors, the user can have various virtual experiences in the space. Regarding this system, see, for example, Cruz-Neira, C., Sandin, D. J., and DeFanti, T. A., Surround-Screen Projection-Based Virtual Reality: The Design and Implementation of the CAVE, Proceedings of SIGGRAPH '93, pp. 135-142, 1993.